Learning on a Snow Day
by Thomas Linquist
Summary: A short little story written and inspired by my Beta and friends.


This story was written as a gift for my Beta and his girlfriend. They were the original Ron and Leanne. The events depicted are taken from my Beta's account of a snow day, with a dose of creative license. Merry Christmas, everyone!

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**Learning on a Snow Day**

The alarm buzzed loudly in Ron's ear. Reaching over his head with one hand, he mashed the snooze button. In doing so, the cold air seeped in under the blankets that had been pulled up over his messy dark hair. Shivering, he burrowed back under into the pocket of warmth. He'd never been what you would describe as a morning person, and cold weather might just keep him in bed longer than the usual ten minutes.

When the alarm went off the second time, the young man decided he had better get up and face facts. Christmas break didn't start until _after_ this day was through. The thought of all of that free time warmed Ron Garvin as he threw off the weight of his covers. This was his first Christmas in Middleton. The first one with his new friends.

Stretching, he glanced out of his window. There was a sea of white, covering just about everything. As he had slept, a thick powder had landed all over the tri-city area. Even now the plows were pushing the snow back over the already considerable banks.

Running down the stairs, he rushed to the television set. Tuning into the local news station, he watched as the school closure listings scrolled by on the bottom of the screen. When Middleton Middle school went across, Ron jumped up and pumped a fist in the air.

"Yes! Snow day!"

The shout brought the family in from the kitchen. One of Ron's two sisters had made it home early from college back in Pennsylvania. Both of his parents had been quietly having breakfast and drinking coffee with her, when the early morning stillness had been shattered. In fact, Paul Garvin sr. was in the process of staring at a brand new coffee stain on the front of his shirt.

"Honestly, Dawn, I wish our boy would learn to show his emotions. It's impossible to tell when he's excited." He pulled the wet spot away from his chest and headed for the stairs.

Ron's sister merely shook her head and went back to her breakfast. She had forgotten just how much like him she was at that age, praying for school closure on what had to be one of the lamest days of the year. Even the teachers were apathetic about education on the last day before a break.

"I'm gonna go get back into bed, Mom." Ron called over his shoulder, already on the first step. "Give me a wake up call at 9:30?" There was nothing better than a couple of hours extra sleep. Especially when on has a busy day planned with friends.

XX

Ron was awakened by what felt like the family cat jumping up on the covers. He swatted feebly at it. "Go away; I'm trying to sleep here." The motion only increased in intensity. "Oh, c'mon, it's a day off!"

"And we have plans for the day, in case you've forgotten!" A bright voice responded. Definitely not the cat.

Shoving back the quilt, Ron found himself looking into the rosy cheeked face of Leanne Barton. His new best friend had the chill of a December day still clinging to her as she jumped on the side of his bed. He reached out and grabbed a pillow, attempting to throw it at her. She beat him to the punch, and clubbed him with another. The pillow fight resulted in two giggling kids, one of whom was still struggling to get out from under his blankets.

"How did you get here so fast?" Ron looked up at his clock. It was precisely 9:30.

"Mom dropped me off on her way to work. I've been here for half an hour, ever since they plowed out the streets." She backed off of the bed and helped her friend pull off the covers. "Your mom and I made pancakes. Get your butt out of bed and let's eat before they get cold."

As the two youngsters stuffed themselves with the breakfast of winter champions, Donna Garvin puttered about the kitchen. She had the day off as well, though hers was scheduled, as opposed to weather related. She was a nurse at Middleton Memorial.

"So, what is the big plan for the day?" She rinsed off the last bit of syrup from a plate and put it in the dishwasher.

"Lea and I are going to the park to sled with Amy." Amy Rice was the third member of their little group. While she wasn't always with Ron and Lea, she was most often seen in their company. "There's a great hill just down by the lake. Some of the older kids have been snow boarding down there."

"Well, dress warm, and be careful."

XX

About an hour later, three bundled figures stood at the top of a steep slope overlooking the lake in the center of Middleton Park. The surface was a uniform white. Not a single step marred that pristine hill. Most of the youngsters had opted for the hill closer to the entrance to the park. The only sign that anyone had been here were two mounds, jump ramps put up by the older kids that had been snow boarding the previous weekend.

"This is gorgeous, guys!" Amy blew out a breath of excitement. "We have the place all to ourselves. I'm glad you suggested the longer walk, Lea; it was worth it."

Leave it to Lea to take the unbroken trail. Ron had gallantly taken point, breaking through the icy layer that was just under the powder. He agreed whole-heartedly that it had been worth it. With the usual exuberance of youth, he longed to be the first at anything.

That enthusiasm had gotten them all into a mess, and almost cost Miss Go her life a couple months back. He had rushed out into the middle of a fight, trying to help his teacher fight some really awful people. It had worked out in the end, but he had a scar on one arm to remind him that thinking ahead is part of being a team member.

While he was admiring the scenery, a sudden shower of snow landed on his head. Both girls had tried to pack snowballs, and had opted instead to settle for mitts full of snow over their oblivious companion.

"Hey!" Ron shouted as he watched the two giggling females jump on their saucer shaped sleds and slide down the hill. Grabbing his own ride, he took off after them. As he passed them getting off of their saucers, he put his hands down and flicked snow into their faces. Laughing, he coasted to a stop, just a little short of the edge of the ice, and to one side of the ramps.

The girls were already trudging up the hill, dragging the sleds behind them. Ron got up and followed. As he was tugging on his saucer, he saw a couple of people walking along the cleared path at the top of the ridge. The man had his arm around the young woman, and she was laughing at something he had said.

XX

Ron Stoppable and his BFGF Kim Possible were out for a stroll in the romantic wonderland that was Middleton Park. They had avoided most of the places that young college students were gathering in town. With missions and school work (exams had been killers this year) they had not been able to spend nearly enough time together.

Ron was still commuting back and forth to Upperton, having opted to live at home, to be close to Hana and his parents. They had been talking about sharing an apartment in their sophomore year, but decided that might be a little too much temptation. He was going to find a place of his own next semester.

Walking down the path, they saw the three young people sliding down the hill. It brought back memories of sledding down that same hill. Ron had modified the sled to get the maximum speed and thrill out of the ride. Rufus had held onto the back end of the sled behind Kim for dear life.

Ron whispered something about traditions into Kim's ear, just as Ron Garvin started his second run. The girls had gone ahead of him again, and he had moved slightly to his right, to avoid running into them.

XX

Ron swept down the slope going at a speed he thought would force his breakfast back up. It wasn't until he was practically on the first jump that he realized his error. In moving to avoid the girls, he had lined up with the snow boarders' obstacles. There was no way he could stop now. Steering the saucer type of sled was also not an option.

The first landing was picture perfect. The grin that this good fortune elicited was quickly wiped from his face when the sled left the second ramp. His grip on the handles failed, and he flew ahead of it. He landed on the snow covered ice, face first, mashing the right side of his head, hard. In the subsequent roll, he managed to bang his hip pretty hard. A wave of pain washed over his hind quarters.

"Ron!" Lea cried from where she had gotten up. She ran towards him. Not thinking about anything but her friend, she stepped onto the ice covered lake, slipping and falling forward. Landing on her right wrist, she cried out in pain.

Amy followed at a more cautious pace, and was torn between her two friends. Both were obviously in pain. Who should she tend to first?

The decision was taken from her hands when two individuals slid onto the ice as if it were their natural element. Kim Possible was suddenly kneeling next to Ron Garvin, and her boyfriend was gingerly picking Lea up from the ice. He carried the girl to a bench on the shore, while Amy and Kim supported Ron to the same bench.

Kim was checking the boy over carefully, years of mission training taking over. There was the obvious bruising on the entire right side of his face, now a bright red, aiming for a deep purple. She was asking him questions, trying to determine if he had a concussion or not.

"I'm okay, help Lea. I'm sure she's broken her wrist trying to help my sorry butt." He winced as he said the words, since it served to remind him that more than his head had struck something a little more solid than snow.

Lea, meanwhile, was insisting that Ron help her friend, who obviously must be hurt worse than her, since he was the one that saw "air time" followed by a face plant. She still had a half terrified expression on her face. She hardly even noticed her own discomfort, thinking that he might have broken something himself.

"I've got her, Ron." Ron Stoppable had removed Leanne's glove, and was inspecting her wrist carefully. "She seems to be able to move the fingers okay. Here. Hold this on her wrist." Ron handed a ball of snow to Amy, who did as she was told. The blond man then turned to help his girlfriend to examine the lad more thoroughly.

They proceeded to take off his snow pants, and then pulled his track pants down for good measure. He was turning red on the other side of his face now. The girls politely looked the other way, once they realized what was going on.

"Sorry, but we have to make sure you aren't bleeding or anything." Kim left most of the "inspection" to Ron. No reason to make this more humiliating than it already was. For all that they weren't looking directly at him; both Lea and Amy were paying close attention to the couple that had come to their aid.

"We'd better get them to the Sloth and take them to the hospital. Amy, can you get hold of their parents and tell them where we will be. I'm sure they will want to get there right away."

Nodding, the blond girl ran off, leaving them at the bench. She had been the one to go for help when they got into the trouble with Miss Go. While she was not a born leader, she was reliable in an emergency.

Gingerly putting Ron onto one of the saucers, they pulled him back up the slope and off to the parking area, some little distance away. Only Kim's purple Roth SL coupe was in the lot. The two teens were strapped into the back and the foursome took off at a brisk pace for Middleton Memorial.

XX

Both Ron and Leanne's parents had rushed as quickly as possible to the emergency room. Fortunately, the most severe injury was the sprained wrist suffered by Lea. They were both examined and released to their parents' care. They spent the remainder of the day in the Garvin kitchen, putting together the gingerbread house kits that had been waiting for the long Christmas break.

It was later that night that Ron and Lea each got to worrying about the other again. More than once, each would pick up the phone and just as quickly put it down.

Ron's sister ragged on him about calling his "girlfriend". That would make him frown and turn back to the television, but he never saw a thing that happened on the screen. He kept thinking about how foolish he was to go down the hill without thinking about what was on his path.

Meanwhile, Lea was worrying about Ron. She knew he had to be in a lot of pain. He'd tried to hide it all afternoon, putting on a brave face in front of her and Amy. Still, she felt a little guilty. They should have all been at the top of the slope together, and sledding on the "buddy system". Since they had met that fall, they had been good friends. She should have been up there to warn him.

Simultaneously, they reached for their respective phones. Busy signals were all that either heard. Hanging up, Ron watched the clock on the VCR. Lea disconnected and stared at her watch. Five minutes later, they each dialed again. Busy.

Ron's older sister finally took pity on him, and lent him her cell phone, so that he could talk to his friend from the privacy and comfort of his own bed. At first, he was inclined to reject the offer, but the need to talk to Lea won out.

Just as he was dialing her number once more, getting yet another busy signal; the house line rang. Paul Garvin sr. picked up the handset and pressed the talk button. Without pausing he told the caller on the other end to hold for a moment, and took the device to his son's room.

"I think it's for you, Junior." Ron's father was the only person who could get away with calling him that.

"Hello?"

"Ron, are you okay? I've been trying to call forever, and I kept getting a busy signal." The voice on the other end wasn't nearly as chipper as it had been when she had jumped on his bed that morning.

"I've been trying to call you. I guess we've been crossing wires. Great minds think alike."

"I resent that! Don't lump me in with you!" Now Lea actually giggled a little. The effect was ruined by a short little gasp.

"Is the wrist really sore?" He frowned deeply into the set. "I'm sorry you hurt yourself trying to get to me. I should have been more careful on the hill today."

"We both should have been more careful, Ron. We're friends, and friends always have each other's back. After all, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable always look out for each other." There was a slight pause. "I guess we both learned something. Always watch what you are doing, and always work as a team."

A snow day and the best of friends still managed to take in a very important lesson. It was one that would be carried for the rest of their lives.


End file.
